Oklahoma Personal Injury Legal Blog
First Levaquin Case Results in $ 1.1 million in Punitive Damages from Johnson & Johnson
A jury in Minnesota awarded $1.1 million in punitive damages to an 82-year-old man whose Achilles tendon ruptured after taking the prescription drug Levaquin, reports Bloomberg. The article states that Johnson & Johnson, as well as its pharmaceutical unit Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, did not adequately warn doctors or patients of the risks of taking Levaquin, which includes the possibility of tendon rupture. This case was the first of about 2,600 filed against the company. The jury found that Johnson & Johnson acted in blatant disregard for the people who would be using their drug. The plaintiff’s attorney stated, “We’re thrilled with the outcome and feel the jury followed the evidence and came to the right decision… they sent a clear message: Pharmaceutical companies should put their patients ahead of their profits.”
Levaquin is part of a family of pharmaceutical antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. The 82-year-old plaintiff was also prescribed steroids in addition to Levaquin when he was suffering from a respiratory infection back in 2005. Because Johnson & Johnson did not adequately warn consumers about the risks of taking the drug, which includes a possible adverse affect when combined with steroids, the man’s doctor prescribed the two medications together. Prior to the injury that the man sustained because of using Levaquin, he was very active for his age. However, since his drug-related injury, his activities have been extremely limited.
What Happens After an Oklahoma Oil Field Explosion?
Oil field explosions in Oklahoma, sadly, are not unheard of. Big oil companies run large oil fields and oftentimes the safety of their employees isn’t their first priority. Naturally, oil fields produce very volatile chemicals in liquid, solid, and gas form, which can cause huge explosions if ignited. The result of any Oklahoma oil field explosion may be extensive damage to the field itself, any property within range of the explosion, and catastrophic injury or death to anyone in the area when the explosion occurs.
Because oil companies may cut corners in order to boost productivity, it is not uncommon for employees to be forced to use outdated equipment or for the oil company to ignore equipment that may need to be replaced, refuse or fail to install new machinery, or require workers to cut corners to make deadlines. When this type of negligence occurs and an Oklahoma oil field explosion results, the oil company can be held legally responsible for all subsequent injury, wrongful deaths, and property damage.
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Three-Car Collision in Muskogee County Claims Man’s Life, Injures Another
A three-car crash in Muskogee County on State Highway 10 left one man dead and another with leg injuries, according to ABC News affiliate KTUL. The 33-year-old driver of a Dodge pickup truck was trying to pass several vehicles in a no passing zone when he struck another vehicle and crashed head on into a Chevrolet truck driven by a 40-year-old man. The 40-year-old motorist was pinned in his vehicle for half an hour before succumbing to his injuries while the 33-year-old driver suffered leg injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. There was no word on whether or not anyone in the third vehicle sustained injury.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, there were 34,017 traffic fatalities with 749 in Oklahoma alone. All motorists have a responsibility to practice safe driving in order to prevent tragedies like this story. However, many drivers still drive aggressively which can cause wrongful death car accidents in Oklahoma.
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How Does an Oklahoma Birth Injury Occur?
Oklahoma birth injuries may be sustained for a variety of reasons. Birth injuries are very serious and can permanently alter a child’s life, as well as their parents, who must now care for the injured child as well as heavy financial burdens that are associated with the birth injury. Many birth injuries occur when a medical professional is negligent, either during the pre-natal care of the mother, the actual birth or after-birth care of the child.
Doctors, physicians, and nurses are trusted by patients to do everything in their power to ensure a child’s healthy birth. However, situations can arise where a medical professional may not adhere completely to their responsibilities. For example, the prenatal care of the mother, such as the prescription of medication that may cause an adverse affect, can result in a birth injury to the child in conjunction with any injury that the mother sustains. Another situation where an Oklahoma birth injury could potentially occur is if an unnecessary cesarean section was performed. Some additional birth injuries that can occur because of medical professional negligence include, but are not limited to:
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McClain County Head-On Car Collision Claims Two Lives, Injures Two More
A head-on car accident in Dibble proved to be fatal for two people and two others sustained injuries on Wednesday, December 8, according to NewsOK.com. The car crash occurred at State Highway 76 and 260th Street at about 7:48 a.m. The two injured people were taken to local area hospitals for treatment but at this time, their condition is not known.
While this article does not state the exact cause of the fatal Oklahoma car crash, there are a number of possibilities that investigators may want to look into. Some causes may include driver inattention, a defective auto part that caused one of the vehicles to lose control, reckless driving of another motorist, dangerous road conditions, or debris left from a work site just to name a few. Depending on what the investigation concludes, if negligence is found to have contributed to the car crash, the families of the deceased victims may have grounds to hold the negligent party legally liable for the wrongful death of their loved ones.
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Dangerous Toys: An Alarmingly Common Occurrence Part 2
Part one of this two part blog series discussed the increase in child injury in direct correlation to the increase of foreign-manufactured toys and the changes seen from previous generations to today’s toy manufacturing process. This second part discusses common defects in toys as well as other aspects of a toy that can harm a child, such as its composition.
The risks that a child faces when playing with a dangerous or defective toy may not always be seen, even by the most observant parent. The most common defects in children’s products today involve lead poisoning and other dangerous substances, as well as choking hazards, magnets and small parts that may become detached from the toy exposing sharp edges or pieces that could seriously injure or even kill a child. Other hazards include the risk of toys exploding and shooting acid into a child’s eyes.
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Dangerous Toys: An Alarmingly Common Occurrence Part 1
Over the past few decades, mass production of children’s toys has become increasingly popular. Toy manufacturers have seen their profit margins increase with the ability to produce more toys in a shorter amount of time. However, with more toys being produced at a faster rate than ever before, the chances of defective or dangerous toys sold to consumers and the risk of child injury and death also increases dramatically.
Previous generations saw the manufacturing of not only toys but cars as well as other products here in the United States. However, today many products are imported to the U.S. from other countries and according to the recent article Playing with Safety: Dangerous Toys and the Role of America’s Civil Justice System, the number of child injuries and deaths directly corresponds with the rising number of imported toys. Nearly 30,000,000 toys are imported from foreign countries every year, which accounts for 95 percent of all toys that are sold in the U.S.
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The Consequences of Medical Misdiagnosis in Oklahoma City
From an early age, people are taught to believe that doctors, physicians, nurses, and other medical staff have a patient’s best interests at heart when diagnosing a medical condition. The majority of the time, this is true; however, there are instances where a medical misdiagnosis in Oklahoma can decrease a patient’s quality of life or even prove to be fatal.
We trust medical professionals will listen to our complaints and health concerns in order to properly diagnose a medical problem so that we may begin the recovery process as soon as possible. However, medical errors do occur and sometimes the proper diagnosis isn’t given. Perhaps the doctor didn’t interpret the symptoms correctly, mistaking one possible health condition for another and prescribed the wrong medication. Another example could be if a doctor misreads test results, such as those from a mammogram or X-ray.
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Pickup Truck Collides with School Bus in Kildare, Seven Injured
A traffic accident involving a pickup truck and a school bus carrying 16 students occurred in the north-central town of Kildare on November 9, according to Nebraska.tv. At least seven people, including five students, were injured in the Oklahoma school bus accident. Police officials say that the pickup, driven by a Kansas resident and carrying one passenger, failed to yield at a stop sign, crashing into the school bus on Pecan Road. The students were taken to a local hospital and were later released, while the driver of the pickup was listed in critical condition and his passenger is reported to be in stable condition.
It is the responsibility of all motorists to pay attention to traffic laws and obey traffic signs. When a driver is distracted, whether it is by the use of a cell phone, texting, another passenger, changing the radio station or other distraction, they can potentially cause a serious traffic accident in Oklahoma that can lead to injury or, in some cases, even death. Further investigation will determine why the pickup truck driver did not stop at the stop sign; however, if it is found that negligence contributed to the Oklahoma school bus crash, parents of the injured students and other parties may be entitled to compensation.
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What You Don’t Know about Pedestrian Accidents in Oklahoma
With more and more people concerned about the environment and their own overall health, many people are beginning to utilize cars less and walk more. However, millions of people still drive more than they walk or bike, which means that the risk of getting into an Oklahoma pedestrian accident is still fairly high.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 69,000 pedestrians are injured by motor vehicles every year in the United States, with roughly 5,000 of those injuries being fatal. In 2008, 51 of those fatalities were residents of Oklahoma.
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